Lionesses boss defends Whitby striker Beth Mead over diversity comments
Mead has since withdrawn from the England squad for family reasons
England boss Sarina Wiegman has defended forward Beth Mead, who is from Whitby, over comments made about diversity in an interview.
Mead was quoted in The Guardian as saying a lack of non-white players in the group was "coincidental", something she's since insisted wasn't a "true reflection" of her beliefs.
When asked about it at a press conference, Wiegman said the comments were "totally misinterpreted".
"She's an incredible person and her values are really good," Weigman told reporters. "I will just leave her alone a little bit with the circumstances she's in".
"Just know she's a very good person."
Mead to miss friendly against Norway
The Lioneeses have confirmed Beth Mead will miss England's final fixture of 2022 against Norway on Tuesday due to family circumstances.
The Arsenal forward won her 50th Lionesses cap in the 4-0 win against Japan on Friday, providing two assists to tee up Rachel Daly and Chloe Kelly.
Ella Toone also got on the scoresheet, before Everton's Jess Park came on as a substitute and scored just seconds into her England debut to help extend the Lionesses' unbeaten run to 25 games.
England announced Mead's withdrawal on Saturday alongside Lucy Bronze, who will miss out as a precaution regarding a minor injury.
The defender had originally been ruled out of the Japan clash after testing positive for Covid, and Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman confirmed pre-match that Bronze had tested negative but would be returning to Barcelona.
The European champions will bring the curtain down on an historic year against Norway, and Wiegman will be hoping her side can provide a repeat performance from their dominant display against the same opponents this summer.
The Lionesses thrashed Norway 8-0 in the group stages of Euro 2022, with Mead scoring a hat-trick alongside goals from Ellen White, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
The result saw them secure a spot in the quarter-finals, with England going on to win the tournament against Germany in the final.